Reviews

I am writing to provide some personal comments about the legal work provided by Dennis McCooe, Esq. to my husband and business partner Peter. In 2004, my husband’s life work was taken by the company that manufactures his furniture designs. Because we couldn’t afford to engage an attorney to protect his work, the company continued to knock off his designs and not pay the agreed upon royalties. In 2013, we contacted Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (PVLA) seeking pro bono legal assistance to enforce his rights. From the moment we met Dennis McCooe, our situation started turning around. Dennis suggested we create a timeline of Peter's work, with images and dates. Then he asked us to do the same for the knockoff furniture. We collected and collated 30 years of magazine articles and design books to establish Peter’s work and brand identity prior to commencing his relationship with the offending company. Having gathered all the facts, we traveled together to Lancaster, PA for a negotiation with the offending company and its attorney. After the material was presented, Mr. McCooe asked one question, “If this dispute were to go to trial, and a jury saw this information, how do you think the verdict would go?” Dennis’s clever strategy resulted first in the payment of back royalties and then to a new royalty agreement ratified by the company. Unbeknownst to us, the company was getting ready to file bankruptcy, which they did in late 2014, while still owing us a great deal of money. Instead of backing away from this case, Dennis and Blank Rome petitioned the creditors of the bankruptcy for the tooling and molds that Peter had designed and made. Because of this intervention, the court released these items. Our life today is much improved. We have a new factory working with us and Peter has a new studio with the equipment we obtained from the bankruptcy proceeding. None of this would have been possible without the generous and steadfast support of our counsel, Dennis McCooe. We will forever be in his debt and hope that he remains a friend for life. We must also thank Blank Rome for its generosity and commitment to bringing justice for artists through the PVLA.